short term memory

memory that only holds items for a short period of time after they occur, STM

Short-term memory, sometimes referred to as "primary," "working," or "active" memory, is said to hold a small amount of information for about 20 seconds.Estimates of short-term memory capacity vary - from about 3 or 4 elements (i.e., words, digits, or letters) to about 9 elements: a commonly cited capacity is 7±2 elements. In contrast, long-term memory indefinitely stores a seemingly unlimited amount of information.Short-term memory can be described as the capacity (or capacities) for holding in mind, in an active, highly available state, a small amount of information. The information held in short-term memory may be:recently processed sensory input;items recently retrieved from long-term memory; orthe result of recent mental processing, although that is more generally related to the concept of working memory.
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Short-term memory n. Abbr. STM The phase of the memory process in which stimuli that have been recognized and registered are stored briefly. [more]Short term memory - Community and Resources

Noun
1. what you can repeat immediately after perceiving it
(synonym) STM, immediate memory
(hypernym) memory, remembering

The temporary memory store accessed after recent exposure to a stimulus to be recalled. See also long term memory , memory. 
<Discussion > <References> Chris Eliasmith